Sophie, the new housemaid for the Lelièvre family, is reserved and unassuming. But she loses favour with her employers when she makes friends with the feisty postmistress, Jeanne, whom Monsieur Lelièvre doesn’t like. The two very different women are linked by dark secrets and when one of Sophie’s is uncovered, she is fired. At Jeanne’s urging, she stands up to her employer. Aggressive, with a strong sense of class consciousness, Jeanne continues to spur on the escalating dispute